This week's picture will bring back fond memories for old-time Floriana supporters. It shows the Floriana players in front of the statute of St Publius after the Greens were crowned champions of Malta in 1976-77.

Floriana had a great team in the seventies. With stars like Willie Vassallo, Louis Arpa, Frankie Micallef, Edwin Farrugia and the Xuereb brothers, Raymond and George, the Greens had few equals on the local scene.

Floriana started the 1976-77 campaign in grand style, beating the champions and Old Firm rivals Sliema Wanderers 2-0 in the opening match of the Independence Cup. Then, the following Sunday, they drew 2-2 with Hibernians to retain the trophy.

A look back at the 1976-77 league campaign, one can only be impressed by Floriana's domination of the championship. The Irish dropped only three points from 18 matches to become the first team since the league had been extended to 10 teams to win the competition without losing a game.

Only Hibernians gave them a decent challenge but when Floriana won the direct encounter, the race was as good as over.

A point lost against St George's at the end of the first round and another lost to rivals Valletta at the start of the second caused the Floriana faithful some concern. A victory against Sliema, however, followed by another against Hibs, sealed the issue.

As far as relegation was concerned, Senglea were always a sure bet for the big drop. They started well by holding Hibs to a draw but this was only a flash in the pan and by the end of the first round, Senglea were already doomed.

Żebbuġ Rangers went through a disastrous season. They could not get going and at the end of the first round, their position was already critical. But Żebbuġ were not dead yet. A late rally, in which they won six points from four matches, enabled them to force a decider with Msida St Joseph.

The decider was a tight affair. Both teams refused to yield an inch and it was no surprise that the match ended in a 0-0 draw. After the replay produced another 0-0 stalemate, a penalty shoot-out was needed to decide the issue. Msida won the lottery and Żebbuġ were relegated after four seasons in the top division.

On April 12, 1977, Floriana maintained their winning ways when they beat Sliema Wanderers 6-0 in the Sons of Malta Cup final. Powie Micallef crowned a fine performance with four goals, the others coming from George and Raymond Xuereb.

The Greens then turned their attention to the FA Trophy with a clean sweep of cups a distinct possibility. Floriana fought their way through the earlier rounds up to the final where they met their neighbouring adversaries Valletta.

The final, as expected, attracted a bumper crowd to the Stadium. The nosiest section was, as usual, the Valletta side. It had been a long time since such a huge crowd had been at the Stadium and the police had to close the doors of the enclosure after the tickets were sold out.

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was tense. From the initial whistle, stones were thrown onto the pitch from the Valletta side but with the intervention of the police, order was restored.

The game was keenly-fought with no quarter asked for neither given. There was little between the two teams. The only factor which tipped the scales in favour of Valletta was the presence of Leonard Farrugia. The tiny City striker put on a brilliant performance, scoring the goal which ended Floriana's 37-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

Celebrations in the capital were huge and lasted until the early hours of the morning. There was justified cause for jubilation. It was Valletta's first victory over the 'enemy' in five long years and the first defeat inflicted on Floriana by any team since March 1976.

This defeat seemed to cast a spell on Floriana. The next season, Floriana's fine team started to break up. Vassallo was shortly to move to Australia and Arpa was soon to announce his retirement.

Then, at the start of the eighties, Edwin Farrugia and the Xuereb brothers defected to Ħamrun Spartans and the Greens were left in the doldrums. 1976-77, therefore, marked the end of the last great period in the history of the club.

Since that season, barring a brief period in the early nineties, Floriana never regained their former glory.

Their loyal supporters are still waiting for the day when the good old times would return to the suburb and Floriana would once again reign as the kings of Maltese football.